FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show Orthodox Jews Leaving Israel To Avoid Conscription

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook claims to show thousands of Orthodox Jews leaving Israel to avoid conscription.

Screenshot/Facebook

Verdict: Misleading

The video does not show Orthodox Jews leaving Israel.

Fact Check:

Social media users are sharing a video of people in line at an airport, claiming it shows Orthodox Jews trying to leave Israel. One user wrote, “Thousands of Orthodox Jews are leaving Israel after Netanyahu said he wants to conscript them into the military.”

This claim appears to be misleading. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video is from Ben Gurion airport. However, the video does not show “thousands of Orthodox Jews” leaving Israel.

FakeReporter,  a fact-checking outlet, said that the video was posted by a “travel agent’ in a March 6 tweet.

“The video shows ordinary travelers at Ben Gurion Airport. It was posted by a travel agent on his WhatsApp channel to show how busy the airport is. In fact – many of the travelers in the video are not ultra-Orthodox Jews,” FakeReporter tweeted.

Logically Facts reported that the original video’s caption reads, “Part of the 35,000 happy passengers of today. Thanks to our dear follower B.K. Enjoy your flight!”

“From examining Rubinstein’s WhatsApp channel, it appears that he often publishes the daily number of passengers at Ben Gurion Airport (thus ‘the happy 35K passengers’),” FakeReporter told Logically Facts. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show Residents Of Avdiivka Greeting Russian Troops)

Netanyahu has said that he is looking to find a way to end exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, according to Reuters.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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